Various tribes of Plains Indians of historic times also used Palo Duro
Canyon as a camping ground. The presence of these Indians is known from
many campsites and burials. In addition, flint chips and stone
artifacts, potsherds, ornaments of shell and bone, grinding slabs, stone
mortars (fig. 15), and a few pictographs (fig. 3) have provided
considerable information about the culture of these people. Among the
tribes believed to have frequented the canyon at various times are the
Apaches, Cheyennes, Arapahos, Kiowas, and Comanches. However, it is the
Comanches who are most closely associated with the Palo Duro area, for
the canyon is located near the center of their last homeland. Indeed it
was here that the Comanches were finally defeated and driven from this
part of the Plains. The battlefield where Colonel Ranald Mackenzie’s
troops fought the Comanches is located near the southeast corner of the
park (_see_ fig. 7). This skirmish, which took place in 1874, is
believed to have been the last major Indian battle in Texas.
Although most of the canyon’s archeological sites have been picked over
and many of the artifacts removed, important finds are still
occasionally reported. Park visitors who make discoveries of this type
are urged to report them to a park ranger in order that they might be
called to the attention of the proper authorities.